Welcome home 107th QB

'Sphere today: Instead of naming a sports facility after Tony Dungy, maybe Jackson ought to stick his name on a library.

Insignia of the 107th Quartermaster Battalion.

Happy returns: When the 107th Quartermaster Battalion rolls back into Jackson Saturday, you may notice the soldiers are not necessarily so young. When they left Jackson in May for a year in Iraq (technically Kuwait but it was right on the border) I was struck by how many of the approximately 55 members of the battalion appeared to be in their 30s, 40s or older. National Guard members that age do not deserve extra credit for going to war, but they deserve a special sort of credit.

The next homecoming: Three hundred members of the 1461st Transportation Company will also return to Jackson soon. The truck-driving soldiers are expected to return from their deployment in Iraq in mid to late August. Welcome-home festivities are being planned at the county fairgrounds. No one yet knows when they arrive back in Jackson but we know when they will not: Not during the August 19 NASCAR race weekend at Michigan International Speedway. If necessary, the homecoming will be delayed a few days so relatives of the soldiers can find hotel vacancies and clear highways.

What to expect this weekend: Too many exciting events to mention, plus a column in Sunday's Citizen Patriot about lesser moments in Jackson County history.